LORD CHARLES BERESFORD ON HONGKONG AND THE CHINESE CUSTOMS.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
⠀⠀ (Daily Press, 18th July.) Lord Charles Beresford, in his report toithe Associated Chambers of Commerce on his recent mission to China, has something to say about the Customs question at Hong kong. His Lordship appears to have thought that there was a good deal to be said on both sides and not to have formed any very decided opinion of bis own. "Both sides," he says, "the British com- munity and those representing the Chinese Maritime Customs, seem anxious to adjust their differences in a friendly manner. On the side of the Chinese "Customs the authorities work in the line "which they consider best for the interests "of the Government they serve, On the "British side the merchants have clearly "pointed out that the present system is "harmful to the interests of British trade.
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obtained in the person of the officer com- manding the Customs launch." It seems rather anomalous that what is termed the British side of the case should be dependent solely on Chinese evidence while the Chi- nese side has European evidence. In such a case to which side would a Supreme Court jury give credence? When it is remem- ber that the Chinese evidence is the evidence of presumed smugglers trying to avoid ar- rest the case would seem rather a flimsy one to go into court with.
Lord CHARLES BERESFORD might have made the case clearer to the Chambers of Commerce at home had he drawn a compari- son between the state of affairs that existed before the present arrangement came into force and that which now obtains, and differentiated between the Foreign Cus- toms Service and the Native Collec torate. The members of the Imperial Mari- time Customs Service are Chinese officere, in the sense that the Sirdar is an Egyptian officer, but they are more particularly the same time it must always be re-officers of European civilisation and honesty, membered that the Customs service is not and to a Service of that kind it is not the regarded with any great affection by the part of Hongkong to assume a position of "merchants of any country. If the Asso- antagonism. Lord CHARLES says that ciated Chambers thought wise to press "the existing arrangements were made in "this question forward, there can be no "the year 1884 at the request of the Chinese doubt that a satisfactory settlement would "Customs in order to protect Chinese re- shortly be arranged, and British trade
venue, particularly against the opium 14 and commerce materially benefited." "farmen." This 18 ipaccurate. The Elsewhere his Lordship says:-"I made it arrangement was made in 1886 (the date is business to find out the opinion of the immaterial) in pursuance of clause 7 of "Chinese traders themselves as to shifting section 3 of the Chefoo Convention, which
the Chinese Customs House from British reads સફ follows:-
The Governor of to Chinese property, and as far as I could Hongkong having long complained of the gather they were unanimously in favour interference of the Canton Customs re- "of such a change. The two Chinese "venue cruisers with the junk trade of that "members of the Legislative Council of colony the Chinese Government agrees to the appointment of a Commission to "consist of a Britsh Consul, an officer of the posed change. It is, however, proper to Hongkong Government, and a Chinese add that I could get no evidence that the "official of equal rank, in order to the junk masters and Chinese merchants had "establishment of some system that shall actually complained of the Chinese Cus- "enable the Chinese Government to protect "toms House being on British territory." "its revenue without prejudice to the in His Lordship could not get the evidence,"terests of the colony." The Commission because it does not exist. The Chinese merchants and junk masters have no reason to complain of the existing arrangement, and accordingly they do not complain,
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Hongkong Dr. Ho KAI and Mr. WEI "AYUK—were both in favour of this pro
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Both sides being, as Lord CHARLES BERESFORD says, anxious to adjust their differences, it is important that misconcep- tions should be removed and the real facts of the case clearly recognised. The difference is a political one, rather than a commer-
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[July 15, 1899.
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would in itself negative such motives, it is to the interest of the Customs Service of the revenue that trade should flourish, and any Commissioner would much rather that his returns should show an expanding revenue than show that he had succeeded in killing trade. The Native Collectorate, lacking both honesty and intelligence, over- reaches itself and kills trade by squeezes, but under the Foreign branch of the service the collection is conducted as fairly and sensibly as in Great Britain itself. Further, while Lord CHARLES BERESFORD is told in Hongkong that the Customs are injuring the junk trade of the colony, he is told by the British merchants at Canton that steamers cannot secure their fair share of the carrying trade on the river because trade in native bottoms is favoured by pre ferential rates. The Hongkong Chamber of Commerce also has on former occasions made representations to the same effect. But if trade in native bottoms is unduly favoured, where does the grievance come in as regards that trade?
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The only piece of evidence that it appears to have been found possible to lay before Lord CHARLES BERESFORD is
that the Custom House system has kept "the junk trade almost stationary, it having
only increased from 3,375,188 in 1884 to "3,441,295 in 1897." Considering the competition to which the junk trade is exposed from steamers and that the trade in junks to the north and south coasts has almost disappeared, and that the trade is confined now almost exclusively to the Canton delta, the fact that the total figures of the tounage show no diminution but actually a small increase is very strong testimony negativing. the allegations that have been made against the Customs. uder the proposed new arrangements the conditions will be still more favourable, for if opium shipments are checked in Hongkong itself and the duty paid here the necessity of search at the stations will be largely diminished, if not done away with altogether. From a com- mercial point of view that is altogether desirable, fore very merchant knows from his own experience that when Customs duties have to be paid it is to the interest of trade that the arrangements for their collection should be such as to involve the least possible delay and expense. In dealing with Service like the Foreign Customs there ought to be little difficulty in arriving at au arrangement on these lines without any infringement of British jurisdiction in the
cial one. The British residents of Hong. It was in the interests of the colony, as colony. In this connection it maybe
noted that Lord CHARLES BERESFORD WAS supplied with the Customs proposals, sub- stantially the same as those embodied in Sir ROBERT HART's despatch recently published in the Government Gazette, but the first clause, suggesting that Hongkong should recognise the Kowloon Commissioner and that facilities should be given for carrying out his duties, is accompanied by a footnote which con- tains the following: Presence in Hong-
was appointed, the British members being Mr. BRENAN as representing the Consular Service and the late Sir JAMES RUSSELL as representing the Hongkong Government, and the present arrangement was the out- come. The arrangement has been successful to the extent that the measures taken by the Chinese Government to protect its revenue have since that time been" without
prejudice to the interests of the colony.", kong have seen in the operations of the much as in the interests of China, that the Chinese Customs some danger of the juris-control of the revenue stations in the neigh diction of the British Government over the bourhood of Hongkong was transferred from colony being invaded and British prestige the Native Collectorate to the Foreign Cus- lowered. To support of the case against the toms, and the colony has had no reason to Customs efforts have been made to prove that complain of the result. It was a distinct the Customs were prejudical to the junk trade step forward, and it is now proposed by the of the colony, but such efforts have all been Hongkong Chamber of Commerce to make complete failures, being entirely unsupa further advance by establishing a bonded ported by evidence and resting only on hypo- warehouse in Hongkong, a proposal that thetical premises. Feeling, however, has been was mooted in 1886, as it had been imported into the discussion to the extent of previously, but which the Hongkong confusing hypothesis with fact, and the community was at that time wholly un-
to be Englishman, "Whole arrangement liable to withdrawal declaration, was made to Lord CHARLES prepared to entertain. But in making this
if head of Chinese Customs Service not an. BERESFORD “ that the Customs have prac- proposal it is as unnecessary as it is in-
"Englishman.' Under these conditions tically blockaded Hongkong, and the sys- accurate to allege that the Customs have there would be little prospect of the Service tem employed is such as to offer consider hitherto acted in a manner prejudicial being conducted in a manner intentionally "able obstruction to the development of to the trade of Hongkong. It has been inimical to British interests; but there are "trade by native traders, principally their business to collect the duty on im- no doubt political objections to the presence "brought about by illegal search without ports into or exports from China in in a British colony of a Foreign Customs "warrants in British w ters," His Lordship native bottoms, and that they have done house endowed with executive powers goes on to say that there is great difficulty with the least possible interference with the legally exercisable in British territory or in proving such cases, because "native evi- trade. The imputation to the Customs waters, even though the establishment, be- "denca only is available on the British side, officials of motives antagonistic to the trade under British control. It is unjust, however, "while on the Imperial Chinese Customs absurd on the face of it, for, apart from to attempt to support those political ob
ride European evidence is always to be the high character of the Service which tions by allegations that the past action of
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kong admittedly by
'vernment. Conimi, of British Go
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